NOBLE LAND OWNERSHIP IN SIMBIRSK PROVINCE IN THE SECOND HALF OF THE XIX – EARLY XX CENTURY

Abstract

Introduction. The most important event that determined the agrarian development of Russia in the second half of the XIX – early XX century was the abolition of serfdom in 1861. The agrarian reform was a great shock not only for the peasant economy, but also for the landowner estates of Russia, raising the question of the economic viability of the nobility as a subject of economic relations. Materials and Methods. A comprehensive study of the regional features of the evolution of the noble economy in the second half of the XIX – early XX century allows you to identify the main trends and patterns of the studied processes and phenomena, which contributes to filling numerous gaps in the history of the nobility, its legal status, socio-economic status, economic activity and land tenure dynamics. Results. In the post-reform period, the growing need of landlords for mortgage loans associated with the mobilization of land and the tasks of modernizing noble economies. The government initially hoped to satisfy through those that emerged in the 1870s private land banks. In connection with the continued difficulties with loans for the local nobility in 1885, the State Nobility Land Bank was created. Analysis of land tenure statistics in Simbirsk province in the second half of the XIX – early XX centuries shows a sharp reduction in the number of land owned by the nobles. By 1905 in the Simbirsk province noble land tenure decreased by 48,4 %. Discussion and Conclusions. The activity of the State Noble Land Bank in the territory of Simbirsk province helped the local nobles to obtain the sums of money necessary for the modernization of their farms, but the soft loan provided to them could not prevent a further reduction in noble land tenure.